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Chapter 38

Case Construction

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Cases are storage units that hold or display items. They basically consist of a box that is either, open to the top, or to the front. Shelves and dividers may be added to create compartments. Some typical cases are: jewelry boxes, chests of drawers, gun cabinets, desks, microwave carts, china hutches, bookcases, storage chests, and kitchen cabinets. The case can be open or fitted with doors.

Summary

Cases are storage units designed to hold or display items. There are three common types of case construction: face frame, frameless, and frame and panel. A face frame covers the edges of the case top, bottom and sides. It also provides structure. With frameless cases, visible edges usually are edgebanded. The case back provides the stability lost without a face frame. Frame and panel construction may consist of thinner wood panels mounted within a frame. Raised panels may be almost as thick as the frame.

All case goods should be assembled carefully, with square corners. This means cutting the lumber or wood product components accurately. Joints should align and fit properly. All of this must be assured before applying the adhesive.

Case lids are of two types. Some may be lids that are added. Others are rabbeted and glued to the case sides and ends. Then the top is cut off.

Cases may have shelves and/or dividers inside. These typically involve accurately placed shelf hanger hardware or dado joints.

Assemble the case dry initially. Be sure that all surfaces are smooth and joints fit properly. Inspect for squareness. Then disassemble the case with clamps laid aside in the reverse order of use. Assemble the case with the proper adhesive. Clamp it together and inspect for squareness. Be sure to remove all excess adhesive before it sets. Assemble the base or plinth and allow the glue to cure.

The 32 mm System is a standardized form of frameless case construction. Components are drilled with accurately located, standard size drills. The holes accommodate dowels or special mechanical fasteners, hinges, and other hardware. There are many benefits to the 32 mm System. However, to fully implement it, a cabinetmaking firm should buy specialized machinery.

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Chapter 39

Frame and Panel Components

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Frame and panel assemblies are an alternative to solid wood or wood product surfaces. They consist of a flat or contoured panel held in a grooved or rabbeted wood frame. You will find frame and panel parts used for cabinet sides, fronts, doors, and partitions between drawers. 

Summary

Frame and panel assemblies serve many purposes in cabinetmaking. From a design standpoint, they add contour to otherwise flat, unattractive surfaces. Besides wood, panels can be made of glass, cane, fabric, or other materials. From an engineering standpoint, frame and panel  components are stable, weigh less, and can reduce the cost of a product.

The product design, available tools, materials, and experience all affect your decision for using frames and panels. In some situations, special equipment is needed. For example, a matched pair of shaper cutters is needed to shape a profiled-edge frame.

Panels may be flush, raised, or inset. They can be flat or profiled to give the appearance of depth. In most cases, the panels are installed in grooves cut along the inside edge of the frame. Glass, metal grille, and other special panels are held in a rabbet joint by stops.

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Chapter 40

Cabinet Supports

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Cabinet supports raise cases or furniture above the floor. They include feet, legs, posts, and plinths. On a perfectly flat floor, any support system is stable. On a slightly uneven floor, lumber and wood products may be flexible enough to make the furniture stable. However, when the floor is quite uneven, you will need to install adjustable glides and levelers.

Summary

Cabinet supports—feet, legs, posts, and plinths—raise casework and furniture above the floor. Feet are short supports under casework. You can use simple round and square lumber or create more complex assembled and shaped feet. Legs are longer supports for tables, chairs, and some casework. They can be round, square, straight, tapered, contoured, or a combination of shapes. Stretchers or shelves, fastened between legs, add strength and stability. Posts resemble legs, but are longer, and typically used as decorative bed rail supports. Plinths, or frames, provide toe clearance under cases.

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Chapter 41

Doors

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Doors add function and beauty to cabinets. Wood and manufactured wood panel doors, such as those on kitchen cabinets and toy chests, hide the contents. Glass doors, such as those found on china cabinets, display the contents. Both wood and glass doors may have locks. Doors may be mounted in vertical, horizontal, and slanted positions. (Some people refer to horizontal and slanted doors as lids.) There are three basic ways for doors to operate: swinging on hinges, sliding on straight tracks, and sliding in curved tracks.

The number of doors needed depends on the cabinet design, door type, and size of the opening. Doors to be hinge mounted can be solid lumber, plywood, plastic, particleboard, or glass. Solid lumber doors are usually frame and panel. The panel consists of several pieces glued edge to edge. You can also make solid lumber doors that consist of several pieces glued edge-to-edge (a plank style), or louvered door assemblies. Sliding doors have two or three panels that glide in upper and lower tracks. Tambour doors consist of wood slats bonded to a heavy cloth backing. The cloth backing provides a flexible door that moves inside curved tracks or slots in the cabinet sides or top and bottom.

Summary

Doors and lids are valuable parts of cabinetry. They add function by concealing contents and, when locked, add security to the cabinet. Doors also add beauty. Glass doors allow you to display the contents. Routed or shaped doors can be very attractive.

Frame and panels, plywood, and laminated wood products all make attractive doors. Glass and plastic work well for display cases.

Doors pivot on hinges or slide in tracks. The type of hinge you select depends on the door mount that could be flush, full overlay, reveal overlay, or lip-edge. Tracks are needed for sliding and tambour doors. A tambour door track may be a slot routed in the case sides.

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Chapter 42

Drawers

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Drawers are handy compartments for organizing and storing objects. Items in drawers are more accessible than those on shelves. Opening a drawer brings its contents close to you; you often have to reach for items on a shelf. Two factors affect drawer construction: design and engineering.

Summary

Well-constructed drawers are a sign of high quality cabinetry. A basic drawer consists of a front, two sides, a back, and bottom. They must be measured, cut, and assembled accurately.

Drawer fronts usually follow the same style as doors on the product. They may be flush, overlay, or lip-edge. In addition, the front may be curved (bent or cut), shaped, or routed for added design features.

Drawers may have fitted or slide-in bottoms. Fitted bottoms may indicate a better quality drawer. A ¼” (6.3 mm) plywood, thermofused melamine panel, or hardboard bottom fits in grooves cut in the front, sides, and back. On drawers with slide-in bottoms, only the front and sides are grooved. The back is narrower and not grooved. After assembling the drawer, slide the bottom in place and secure it with screws or staples.

A number of joints are used for drawer assembly. The front-side corners should be assembled with locking joints due to the force required to open a drawer. The side-back joints should be positioned, but do not have to lock. A dado or dado and rabbet joint may be used. Joints that rely only on the adhesive for strength, such as butt joints, are poor choices.

Drawers and trays may contain partitions. They help organize the contents. Make them shallow or large enough for easy access.

You can make or buy drawer support systems. Wood drawer supports can be quite simple to create. However, they may not work as smoothly as commercial slides, guides, and tracks. Remember that when designing the drawer, you must allow clearance for drawer hardware.

A cabinet’s style will help determine which drawer pulls or knobs to use. For some designs, drawer fronts have finger grips shaped in the edge instead of pulls.

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Chapter 43

Cabinet and Tabletops

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The top of a cabinet or table is usually the most visible surface. Besides being attractive, it must be wear resistant.  Tops are one piece or assembled components. Typically, the cabinet or tabletop is the last part to be assembled.

Summary

The top surface of a cabinet or table is usually the most visible part of a product. It must be wear resistant, yet attractive. The top can be made of lumber or wood products. Wood products are the most stable, but usually require edge treatment.

The shape of the edge depends on two factors, style and material. Some styles call for square edges while others use rounded or shaped edges. The edges of wood products can be covered with wood banding, veneer or plastic edgebanding, plastic edging, or metal edging.

Tops can be one piece or an assembly. Most cases and tables have one-piece wood or manufactured panel tops. Assembled tops are found on drop-leaf, extension, and trestle tables. Drop leaves are hinged while extension tops move on wood or metal slides.

Attach tops with adhesives and/or mechanical fasteners. Allow lumber tops to expand and contract. This can be done using clips and corner braces. Smaller tops can be fastened with glue blocks or joinery.

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Chapter 44

Finishing Decisions

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Finishing involves applying the proper coating materials to assembled products. The finish, which can be clear, colored, or opaque, protects wood, wood products, and metal from moisture, harmful substances, and wear. A number of decisions surround the process of finishing.

Summary

Finishing is the final step in manufacturing cabinets and furniture. The steps include preparing the surface, applying a washcoat, staining, filling, sealing, and topcoating. In addition, you may choose to add surface accents or even apply a novelty finish. The many decisions which concern finishing techniques are covered in the chapters to follow. Study these carefully because even a perfectly constructed cabinet can be ruined by a poorly applied finish.

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Chapter 45

Preparing Surfaces for Finish

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After assembly, almost all cabinets require a certain amount of preparation before finish is applied. This includes correcting defects, removing color (bleaching), adding color (staining), smoothing, and creating special effects. The method used to prepare the surface depends on the final finish. For example, when you apply opaque finish (enamel), you can fill voids with any color of filler. However, when applying stain under a clear finish, you must use a filler the same color as the wood.

Summary

Preparing a surface for finish requires skill and patience. Begin with a careful inspection of the assembled product. Identify any natural defects or flaws caused during production by carelessness.

A variety of materials fill cracks, chips, dents, and voids. Wood putty is a real wood material for fixing smaller defects. Wood plastics dry hard, but shrink. Stick putty is excellent for holes and cracks. Stick shellac is melted into defects with a burn-in knife or heated putty knife. Under opaque coatings, spackling compound is more economical.

Bleaching is a color-removal process to take out natural coloring, natural stains, and user-made stains. You can use household chemicals or purchase bleaching solutions. Many of these products are toxic and must be spread with extreme caution.

To achieve an aged effect, products may be distressed. This involves either physically damaging the product or splattering brown or black enamel on the surface. Imitation distressing is less damaging and can be removed with paint stripper, if necessary. Scorching, another special effect, highlights portions of the product.

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